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Business Writing: Problem-solving ReportDesigning the Research Tool(s)

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Designing the Research Tool(s)



Designing the Research Tool(s)

• Research Design

• Types of Primary Research

• Questionnaire Construction



Research Design

• Primary vs. Secondary Research

• Reliability and Validity

• Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data



Research DesignPrimary Research

• Focus groups

• Interview

• Observation

• Questionnaire survey

Secondary Research• Unpublished

– Academic theses, reports

• Published– Books,

magazines, journals, newspapers, internet websites



Reliability

• Replicates research with same results

• Ensure a significant sample size

Validity

• Test what you set out to test

• Think through, design and construct carefully

Research Design



Research DesignQuantitative Data

• Completely objective

• Easy to tabulate

– Discrete

– continuous

Qualitative Data

• Qualities or attributes

• Difficult to measure quantitatively



• Focus groups• Observation• Interview• Questionnaire survey

Types of Primary Research



Focus Group Discussions

• Can be an important tool for – programme evaluation– Marketing, advertising– Policy-making– communication

• Consists of a number of individuals• Lasts between 1 to 2½ hours• Records or observes the session



Focus Group Discussions

Advantages• Used for exploratory

research• Obtain data quickly

and less costly• Interact, probe and

clarify• Observe non-verbal

behaviour

Disadvantages• Cannot extrapolate to

a larger population• Affect the thought

processes of respondents and researcher

• Collating the information and its interpretation may be difficult



Observation• Involves watching or seeing what is

happening• Obtain data through the use of the five

senses

Example :Counting the number of buses that run on time



Observational Tally Sheet

No. of buses that run on time at specific time intervals

Observer _________________________ Date ________Place _____________________________ Day _________

Time8 - 8.599 - 9.5910 - 10.5911 - 11.5912 - 12.5913 - 13.5914 - 14.5915 - 15.59



ObservationAdvantages• May be the only

method at times• Generally objective • Easy to tally and work

with

Disadvantages• Limited to those

phenomenon observed

• Cannot explain why • May be influenced by

observer bias• May be expensive

and time-consuming



Interviews• Used when in-depth understanding is

needed• Can be used with other research tools

to – Supplement information– Clarify the problem, limit the scope etc.– Help interpret unusual findings– Put data into perspective



InterviewsStructured Interview• Cannot vary the way

the questions are asked

• Can only repeat the question

• Speak in as neutral a tone as possible

Purpose: Limit the interviewer bias

Unstructured interview• Conversational in tone• Informal way of eliciting

information

Example: Job interviewinformation to be elicited

– qualifications, experience, ability to work with others etc.



InterviewsAdvantages• Relatively more

flexible and adaptable• Permits probing• Can observe the non-

verbal behaviour• Ambiguity can be

clarified

Disadvantages• Interviewer bias can

affect the interviewee’s responses

• Time-consuming and expensive

• Difficult to tabulate



Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Questionnaire Survey• An orderly list of questions to

– obtain facts, opinions, attitudes etc.– provide answers to how and why people

think or behave in a certain way• Helps researchers

– make decisions– improve products– recommend policies/procedures– suggest changes



Questionnaire SurveyAdvantages• Eliminates researcher’s

prejudices• Time and cost effective• Reaches a large number

of respondents• Respondents’ privacy

maintained• Easy to tabulate

Disadvantages• Returns may not be

representative • Answers may not be as

desired• May be invalid and

unreliable • Time-consuming to

design and refine



Types of QuestionsOpen-ended question

In your opinion, how can Resident Committees meet the needs of people living in the neighbourhood?

Dichotomous question Only people with degrees should be promoted.Agree ___ Disagree ___ No opinion ___

Multiple-choice question Tick the radio station you listen to most frequently :Class 95 FM ____ FM92.4 ____93.8 FM ____ Gold 90FM ____



Types of QuestionsRating question

How do you rate the efficiency of this department?Excellent Good Average Fair Poor1 2 3 4 5

Ranking question Rank the following subjects in order of preference.(1 being the most preferable) :Applied Statistics __________Business Finance __________International Economics __________Managerial Accounting __________Management Sciences __________



Questionnaire Construction• Be as clear as possible • Designed to elicit as accurately and quickly as

possible from the respondent– obtain facts, opinions, attitudes etc.– provide answers to how and why people think or

behave in a certain way• Helps researchers

– make decisions– improve products– recommend policies/procedures– suggest changes



ExamplePurpose:To evaluate the effect of training programme on staff morale

Hypothesis:Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures.



Hypothesis:

Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures.

1. How would you rate the present selection procedures used to identify staff for the new training programme?good 1 2 3 4 poor



Hypothesis:

Workers are dissatisfied with the selection procedures.

2. If you gave a rating of either 3 or 4, please indicate your reasons (you may tick more than one option):

it is embarrassing to be nominated it doesn't identify the people who really need the

training people who might want to attend the course are not

able to others; please elaborate ______________________



Structure of the Questionnaire

• Be personal and friendly– Show appreciation– Introduce yourself and subject

• Be logical– Provide clear instructions– Place simple questions first– Categorise questions– Make transitions smooth – Use filter/classification questions



Content of Questions

• Make questions easy to answer– Avoid sensitive or personal questions– Avoid asking for difficult information

• Provide realistic options– offer choices that are mutually exclusive– avoid multi-topic questions– include “don’t know”, “others”, no opinion”

categories



Phrasing of Questions

• Phrase questions unambiguously– Use question words

Eg. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

– Avoid words with vague meanings

Eg. Do you drink regularly?



• Use objective phrasing– Phrase questions concisely

– Eg. Has it happened to you that over a long

period of time, when you neither practiced

abstinence nor birth control, you did not

conceive?




• Use objective phrasing– Avoid leading questions

Eg. Is Phua Chu Kang your favourite sitcom?

– Avoid loaded questions

Eg. Do you practise good dental hygiene?




Basic Principles• Be brief

– Keep the questionnaire short– Make each question count

• Be professional– Make questionnaire visually appealing– Use good quality paper – Use correct grammar

• Plan for easy tabulation– Avoid open-ended questions – Provide range categories

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